HIST102: Early Globalizations - East Meets West (1200s-1600s)

Unit 5: The Mongol EmpireThe Mongols—nomads of central Asia—dominated world history during the
thirteenth century. The Mongols invaded many postclassical empires and
built an extensive cultural and commercial network. Led by Chinggis
Khan and his successors, the Mongols brought China, Persia, Tibet, Asia
Minor, and southern Russia under their control. Often portrayed as
barbarians and destructive warriors, most of the peoples conquered by
the Mongols lived in relative peace, enjoyed religious tolerance, and
had a unified law code. The Mongol empire also opened trade routes and
communication between different regions in Asia. As will see in this
unit, the Mongols presented a formidable nomadic challenge to sedentary,
civilized societies throughout Asia.

In this unit, we will begin by examining who the nomadic Mongols were
and what motivated their ambitious expansion. We will then turn our
attention to specific Mongol rulers, the Mongol military machine, and
the nature of the Mongol imperial system. We will also examine Mongol
rule in China, called the Yuan Dynasty, and its impact on Chinese
culture. Finally, we will study outsiders’ perceptions of Mongol rule
and conquest.

Unit 5 Time Advisory
This unit will take you 9 hours to complete.

☐ Subunit 5.1: 2 hours

☐ Subunit 5.2: 2 hours

☐ Subunit 5.3: 2 hours

☐ Subunit 5.4: 3 hours

Unit5 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

Define key milestones in the rise of the Mongol Empire and the
sources of its power.

Describe some of the results of the cultural interactions that the
spread of Mongol rule helped to promote.

Identify some of the key factors that are used to explain the
decline of Mongol power in Asia and Europe.

5.1 The Mongols
- Lecture: Harvard Extension School Distance Education: “China:
Traditions and Transformations”: “Lecture 17: The World Empire of
the Mongols”
Link: Harvard Extension School Distance Education: “China:
Traditions and Transformations”: “Lecture 17: The World Empire of
the
Mongols”
(Adobe Flash)

Instructions: Please watch the entirety of this lecture by Harvard
University Professor Peter Bol for an introduction to the rise of
the Mongol Empire. Consider how the Mongol Empire compares to
others that have been studied to date as well as the manner in which
this material illustrates some of the processes of globalization
cited in earlier resources.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

5.1.1 Reasons for Conquest
- Reading: Columbia University’s “The Mongols in World History: The
Mongol Conquests”: “What Led to the Conquests?”
Link: Columbia University’s “The Mongols in World History: The
Mongol Conquests”: “What Led to the
Conquests?”
(HTML)

Also available in:
[PDF (p.
7-8)](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/index.html) (At the
bottom of the right column, select link "Transcript (PDF)" and
scroll down to page 7)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of this section to get a
sense of what motivated the Mongol conquest of Asia.
Note on the Text: This text was created by the Asia for Educators
Program at Columbia University under the direction of Professor
Morris Rossabi, who teaches Chinese History at both CUNY and
Columbia University. This project was funded by The Freeman
Foundation.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Also available in:PDF
(p.8-10) (At the
bottom of the right column, select link "Transcript (PDF)" and
scroll down to page 8)

Instructions: Please read the entirety of these four sections in
order to get a sense of Chinggis Khan’s vision of Mongol identity,
his military strategy, the many battles he fought, and those Mongol
leaders who succeeded him.

Note on the Text: This text was created by the Asia for Educators
Program at Columbia University under the direction of Professor
Morris Rossabi, who teaches Chinese History at both CUNY and
Columbia University. This project was funded by The Freeman
Foundation.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

5.1.3 Conquering a Vast Territory
- Reading: Columbia University’s “The Mongols in World History: The
Mongol Conquest”: “How a Small Group of Mongols Conquered Such a
Vast Domain”
Link: Columbia University’s “The Mongols in World History: The
Mongol Conquest”: “How a Small Group of Mongols Conquered Such a
Vast
Domain”
(HTML)

Also available in:PDF
(p.10-11) (At the
bottom of the right column, select link "Transcript (PDF)" and
scroll down to page 10)

Instructions: Please read the entirety of this section to learn of
how and why the Mongols were able to bring so much territory under
their control.

Note on the Text: This text was created by the Asia for Educators
Program at Columbia University under the direction of Professor
Morris Rossabi, who teaches Chinese History at both CUNY and
Columbia University. This project was funded by The Freeman
Foundation.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Also available in:PDF
(p.11-12) (At the
bottom of the right column, select link "Transcript (PDF)" and
scroll down to page 11)

Instructions: Please read the entirety of this section in order to
get a sense of how the struggles among Mongol leaders led to a
breakdown in power in the empire.

Note on the Text: This text was created by the Asia for Educators
Program at Columbia University under the direction of Professor
Morris Rossabi, who teaches Chinese History at both CUNY and
Columbia University. This project was funded by The Freeman
Foundation.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Once you have worked through all of the assigned
resources in the subunit above, please open the linked PDF and
respond to all questions. When you are done--or if you are
stuck--please check your work against The Saylor Foundation's
"Guide to Responding to Reading Questions for Subunit
5.1"
(PDF).

5.2 The Mongols in China5.2.1 The Mongols’ Influence on China
- Reading: Columbia University’s “The Mongols in World History: The
Mongol Conquest”: “What was the Mongols’ Influence on China?”
Link: Columbia University’s “The Mongols in World History: The
Mongol Conquest”: “What was the Mongols’ Influence on
China?”
(HTML)

Also available in:PDF (p.
12-13) (At the
bottom of the right column, select link "Transcript (PDF)" and
scroll down to page 12)

Instructions: Please read the entirety of this section, which
questions whether the Mongols’ influence on imperial China was
destructive or beneficial.

Note on the Text: This text was created by the Asia for Educators
Program at Columbia University under the direction of Professor
Morris Rossabi, who teaches Chinese History at both CUNY and
Columbia University. This project was funded by The Freeman
Foundation.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Also available in:PDF (p. 13) (At
the bottom of the right column, select link "Transcript (PDF)" and
scroll down to page 13)

Instructions: Please read the entirety of this section on Kubilai
Khan’s rule in China.

Note on the Text: This text was created by the Asia for Educators
Program at Columbia University under the direction of Professor
Morris Rossabi, who teaches Chinese History at both CUNY and
Columbia University. This project was funded by The Freeman
Foundation.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

5.2.3 Life in China under Mongol Rule
- Reading: Columbia University’s “The Mongols in World History: The
Mongol Conquest”: Selections from “Life in China under Mongol
Rule”
Link: Columbia University’s “The Mongols in World History: The
Mongol Conquest”: Selections from “Life in China under Mongol
Rule”:

[Religion](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/china/china3_f.htm)(HTML)
[Culture](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/china/china3_g.htm)(HTML)
Also available in:
[PDF (p.
13-18)](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/index.html) (At the
bottom of the right column, select link "Transcript (PDF)" and
scroll down to page 13)
Instructions: Please read all of these links to get a sense of the
way of life in China during Mongol rule.
Note on the Text: This text was created by the Asia for Educators
Program at Columbia University under the direction of Professor
Morris Rossabi, who teaches Chinese History at both CUNY and
Columbia University. This project was funded by The Freeman
Foundation.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Also available in:PDF (p.
18-19) (At the
bottom of the right column, select link "Transcript (PDF)" and
scroll down to page 18)

Instructions: Please read both of these links to learn about the
internal and external pressures that drove the Mongol Empire toward
collapse.

Note on the Text: This text was created by the Asia for Educators
Program at Columbia University under the direction of Professor
Morris Rossabi, who teaches Chinese History at both CUNY and
Columbia University. This project was funded by The Freeman
Foundation.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

5.3 The Pastoral-Nomadic Life of the Mongols5.3.1 Nomads
- Reading: Selections from Columbia University’s “The Mongols in
World History: The Pastoral-Nomadic Life”; John Masson Smith, Jr.’s
“Dietary Decadence and Dynastic Decline in the Mongol Empire”; and
Morris Rossabi, “All the Khan’s Horses”
Link: Selections from Columbia University’s “The Mongols in World
History: The Pastoral Nomadic Life”

[Introduction](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral.htm)(HTML)
[Sheep: A Source of
Bounty](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral1.htm)(HTML)
[Goats](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral2.htm)(HTML)
[Survival of the
Flocks](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral3.htm)(HTML)
[Yaks and
Oxen](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral4.htm)(HTML)
[Camels](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral5.htm)(HTML)
[Horses](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral6.htm)(HTML)
[Mare’s
Milk](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral7.htm)(HTML)
[Traditional Clothing and
Jewelry](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral8.htm)(HTML)
[The Portable Home: The
Ger](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/pastoral9.htm)(HTML)
Also available in:
[PDF (p.
25-29)](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/index.html) (At the
bottom of the right column, select link "Transcript (PDF)" and
scroll down to page 18)
John Masson Smith, Jr., [“Dietary Decadence and Dynastic Decline in
the Mongol
Empire,”](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pop/menu/readings_pop.htm)*Journal
of Asian History*, vol. 34, no. 1, 2000 (PDF)
Also available in:
[HTML](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:3LcG2ePYuA8J:afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/masson_smith.pdf+http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pastoral/masson_smith.pdf&hl=en&gl=us)
Morris Rossabi, [“All the Khan’s
Horses,”](http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/pop/menu/readings_pop.htm)*Natural
History*, 1994 (PDF)
Also available in:
[HTML](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ynqOf9iuJmMJ:afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/conquests/khans_horses.pdf+http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/conquests/khans_horses.pdf&hl=en&gl=us)
Instructions: Please read all of these links to get a sense of the
features that defined Mongol nomadic life. You will need to
download the PDFs of the two articles by John Masson Smith, Jr. and
Morris Rossabi, respectively. Click the link on the title of each
article to download these. Please read these articles, one about
the Mongol diet and one about the importance of the horse in Mongol
culture.
Note on the Text: This text was created by the Asia for Educators
Program at Columbia University under the direction of Professor
Morris Rossabi, who teaches Chinese History at both CUNY and
Columbia University. This project was funded by The Freeman
Foundation.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

5.4 Perceptions of the Mongols5.4.1 Persian Views
- Reading: Michigan State University: David Morgan’s "Persian
Perceptions of Mongols and Europeans”
Link: Michigan State University: David Morgan’s “Persian
Perceptions of Mongols and
Europeans”
(HTML)

Also available in:
Google Books

Instructions: Please read this entire text for information on how
the Persians perceived Mongol invaders.

Note on the Text: This excerpt is from Chapter VI of Stuart B.
Schwartz’ (ed) Implicit Understandings: Observing, Reporting, and
Reflecting on the Encounters Between Europeans and Other Peoples in
the Early Modern Era, which is published by Cambridge University
Press (1994).

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please read the entire webpage to get a sense of how
medieval European Christians perceived the Mongol conquests of Asia
and the Middle East.

Note on the Text: These selections from “Chapter 5: From Prester
John to Cultural Strangers” comes from Marshall’s textbook Storm
from the East: from Genghis Khan to Khubilai Khan, which is
published by University of California Press (1993).

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: By the middle of the Thirteenth Century Mongol
armies had penetrated into Central Europe. These events inspired a
response from Pope Innocent IV who dispatched emissaries to the
Great Khan in 1245. As you will find in the subsequent exchange of
letters included on this page, Pope and Khan appeared to have very
different views on how one should interpret the“commands of
Heaven.”

Instructions: Please take the assigned multiple choice quiz on this
webpage in order to assess your understanding of the empire built by
the Mongols. Click the “Submit Answers for Grading” at the bottom
of the webpage to link to the answer key.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: This is an ungraded activity. If you choose to
complete the activity, you may record your answer anywhere you like.
You do have the option to use the link above to save your answers on
Saylor.org, though you will need to create a free account in order
to do so -- this will only take a minute, and you may do
so here.

As the resources in Unit 5 indicate, the Mongol Empire extended
across a considerable part of the world. In this assignment you
will compare what different historians featured in our resources
have to say about the nature of Mongol rule. Specifically, do
you find any major similarities or differences of opinion in
their assessments of Mongol policies and attitudes towards the
populations under their control?

Tips for getting started: This assignment is intended to
reinforce our understanding of the interpretive nature of
historical scholarship. That is to say that it is not uncommon
for historians to arrive at different perspectives or
conclusions on the causes or nature of the same event. Your
review of the resources from the unit may suggest several
possible subjects upon which there exists a range of opinion.
These may include Mongol attitudes toward local religious
traditions, taxation or the use of force. You may in fact find
it helpful to organize your comparison in this fashion.